Working out Custody Terms for Major Events

Your child is important to you, but you know that your ex-spouse needs to have time with them as well. You have had a joint custody arrangement for a while now, but what you’ve never really been able to work out is how to handle major events that are in conflict with your custody arrangements.

Sometimes, these events come up suddenly. For example, your child may have a track meet you weren’t expecting to have to go to that now conflicts with their visit with the other parent. For this kind of situation, you may both decide to go or may decide to have whichever parent is available to take your child to the meet.

For more significant events or conflicts where there are two things happening on the same day that your child needs to attend, you find it harder to compromise. A good example of this is a major holiday when both families are having parties or an important get-together on your side of the family on the same date as a loved one’s funeral on the other side.

What Can You Do when Conflicts with Your Custody Schedule Arise?

You may have a general understanding that the more important event will take precedent, or you might state that you’ll stick to the basic custody schedule regardless of the event. What you choose to do should be what you and your ex decide on.

You may want to consider a few major events that would always come first, like funerals, weddings and your child’s extracurricular activities. You may set up specific custody schedules for holidays or school breaks, so you and your ex know exactly what to expect during those dates.

It isn’t always going to be easy to decide what to do when two major events coincide or when you have to ask that your child is with you on a date when they normally wouldn’t be. The potential for conflict is exactly why you should sit down and work these issues out in advance. Other parents have gone through similar discussions in the past, and you will be able to find a reasonable resolution.